Speicherstadtmuseum

About the museum

The museum grew out of an exhibition that the Museum der Arbeit staged in 1988 and 1989 on two storage floors in Block R to mark the Speicherstadt's centenary. Afterward it was reduced to a single floor and was open only to pre-booked groups. In 1995 Henning Rademacher took over the show and expanded it into the Speicherstadtmuseum, a privately run branch of the Museum der Arbeit. Since 2008 it has belonged, together with the Museum der Arbeit, to the Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg.

In fall 2011 the museum moved from St. Annenufer to Block L on Sandtorkai, a warehouse built in 1887/88. The exhibition was completely redesigned for the move and has since made use of the authentic atmosphere of a storage floor, complete with sacks, crates, and tools.

The focus is on the work of the Quartiersleute, the warehouse keepers who stored, inspected, and processed imported goods such as coffee, tea, cocoa, and rubber. On display are items such as sampling probes, Griepen (sack hooks), and hand hooks, along with sorting machines. A second focus is the construction of the Speicherstadt, for which an entire old-town quarter with around 16,000 residents was demolished, and Hamburg's entry into the customs union in 1888. The coffee trade runs like a common thread through the rooms, and a fitted-out tea-tasting room recalls the tea trade. Since 2015 the Speicherstadt, together with the Kontorhausviertel, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Highlights

• Original storage floor in an 1888 warehouse
• Tools of the Quartiersleute (warehouse keepers), such as sampling probes, Griepen, and hand hooks
• Emperor Wilhelm II's silver masonry tools from the 1888 customs union ceremony
• Furnishings of a historic tea-tasting room
• Speicherstadt walking tours with a museum tour, plus coffee and tea tastings

Permanent exhibitions

• Speicherstadt – Baudenkmal und Arbeitsort – Exhibition on the warehouse work of the Quartiersleute, on classic imports such as coffee, tea, cocoa, and rubber, and on the construction history of the Speicherstadt.

Founded

1995

Operated by

Henning Rademacher (privat betriebene Außenstelle des Museums der Arbeit, Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg)

Admission & discounts

The group rate also applies to holders of the Hamburg Card, the Hamburger Ferienpass (including accompanying adults), the Niedersachsen-Ticket, and the CityPower Card.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Family tours for children ages 6 to 12 with an accompanying adult (about 90 minutes, with a cocoa bean tasting and treasure hunt). For individual visitors, a children's scavenger hunt featuring the character "Kalle, de lütte Quartiersmann" with a certificate, and a search game for younger children.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 100 guests.

Available to rent after closing time for parties, receptions, and presentations: up to 60 people seated at tables, up to 100 for standing receptions. Free choice of caterer; no dancing events, and smoking is prohibited on the storage floors.

Plan your visit